An Army goat who appeared at rugby matches and met the Prince of Wales has died.
The Queen has been notified about the death of Lance Corporal Shenkin III, a Kashmiri from the Royal Herd at the Great Orme in Llandudno.
The goat was the Regimental Mascot of 3rd Battalion The Royal Welsh. He died on Tuesday at the age of seven.
Described as a “total poser”, Shenkin made regular appearances at rugby internationals with his handler, Goat Major Sergeant Mark Jackson.
The Queen has been asked for her permission for the regiment to select a new goat.
Goats from the Great Orme herd have been presented to the regiment since 1844, when Queen Victoria presented the Royal Welch Fusiliers with its first official royal goat.
Shenkin III was selected for duty following the death of his predecessor, also called Shenkin, in 2009.
Sgt Jackson had been his handler for the past five years.
The pair have led officers and soldiers in freedom parades and the national rugby team on to the field at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium.
The goat will have a headstone commissioned outside regimental headquarters in Maindy Barracks, and flags have been at half-mast in tribute to Shenkin.
Sgt Jackson said: “He was a legend. He wasn’t just a regimental goat, but part of my family as well. He loved a crowd and was a total poser.”
Lieutenant Colonel Nigel Crewe-Read, the commanding officer of the battalion, said: “Shenkin was the figurehead for the battalion and would lead us wherever we went.
“He was a symbol of the great traditions of The Royal Welsh.”